Get Oyster-ed for cheaper London travel

London travel is often slow, crowded and awfully hot. It can also be extremely pricey. Here's how to save some of that travel budget.

Often it seems that the pricing is designed specifically to punish the London tourist: £4 for a single Tube (underground) ticket compared to £2.40 for an Oyster pre-pay ticket. Or £2.20 for a single bus ticket (non-transferrable) bought with cash compared to £1.30 on Oyster pre-pay.

If you're a casual London visitor, it's not likely you know about this pricing and end up paying the maximum fares.

Do the following to get the best pricing from Transport for London (TFL):

Research your ticket options on the TFL Tickets and Oyster fare page

If you visit from outside the UK, get your tickets in advance from the TFL Visitors page

Pay your £5 and get your Oyster card. The £5 for the card is refundable on its return, but you'll also need to add pre-paid 'credit' to travel